The present invention relates to a thread cutter for a sewing machine.
External drive thread cutter assemblies for commercial type sewing machines are known in the art, however, these cutters have been driven by mechanical linkages which work directly off the sewing machine motor. These mechanical linkages cause the blades in the cutter to operate at 6000 RPM which greatly reduces the life span of the blades and thus requires that the blades be replaced at frequent intervals. Another problem is that when the knife is inoperative or being replaced, the sewing machine is out of service causing lost time.